On the day the Plymouth Whalers started their 25th season in the Ontario Hockey League, Whalers General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci took a step back to acknowledge an important member of the Whalers Family:

“The Plymouth Whalers would like to dedicate this draft to a scout who worked for us for 25 years, Pat Peake, Sr. who passed away last summer,” Vellucci said on April 5 before announcing Plymouth's first-round choice in the 2014 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.

And after looking back and acknowledging the lasting contribution of Peake Sr., the Whalers moved forward with the selection of Ottawa-region center William Bitten seventh overall.

The cover of the 2014 Whalers Scouting Manual was also dedicated to Peake, Sr., who was an excellent one-on-one communicator, but was old-school when it came to submitting his scouting lists.

Watch many scouts now and you’ll see them using computers to compile and submit their lists. Peake, Sr. was different.

Much in the manner that long-time Detroit-author Elmore Leonard worked on his manuscripts, Peake, Sr. wrote his scouting lists long-hand on paper and summited them directly to the Whalers scouting director.

The cover of the 2014 Whalers Scouting Manual had one of Peake Sr.’s lists in the background, with the words “Once a Whaler, Always a Whaler” in the foreground centered around a Plymouth Whalers logo.

Typical of the way Vellucci works, he forwarded the cover to Peake Sr.’s daughter, Kathy, in the middle of moving his team forward in the draft.

Peake was humbled by the Whalers’ acknowledgement of her father. She wrote in an email:

“On behalf of my entire family, we would like to thank you and the organization for everything you have done! It is amazing to still hear how many people my dad touched and how respected he was in the hockey community.

“Compuware and the Plymouth Whalers have always been a big part of my family. A good friend once told me that 'I bleed brown and orange' because of my loyalty to Compuware. This is one of the many reasons why.

“Plymouth is a first class organization. It makes us very proud to know that the Whalers held my father in such high regard and that they have remembered him in such a special ways.

“Both the game back in November and the 2014 Draft are days that will never be forgotten! Thank you again for everything!”

Pat Peake, Sr. and his family have had a lasting, positive impact towards the success of the Whalers franchise.

On Nov. 9, 2013 against Windsor at Compuware Arena, the Whalers acknowledged Peake, Sr. and his family. Family members participated in a ceremonial faceoff and a banner was hung in the arena acknowledging the contribution of Peake Sr. Pat Peake Jr. was the first player ever selected in the history of the Whalers franchise in 1990 and remains the leading career scorer in franchise history with 319 points over 162 games.

Peake Jr.’s retired number 14 jersey hangs from the rafters at Compuware Arena. In addition, Kathy Peake worked at Compuware Arena for several years.

Peake’s list on the cover of the 2014 Whalers Scouting Manual was a reminder for scouts to speak up during one of the most important dates of the season.

As a scout, Peake Sr. knew his territory (Detroit and the surrounding area) as well as anyone and had a direct influence in the Whalers bringing in local players like Jared Newman, Nate Kiser, Damian Surma, James Wisniewski, Dan Pawlaczyk, Jason Saal and John Vigilante, among many others.

Scouts do speak up for players in their region. The Whalers drafted Kaine Geldart and Andrew Fournier based on Kingston-area scout Kent Hawley’s recommendation. Hawley is now scouting for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.

“We succeed as an organization because of the efforts and good work of many people,” said Vellucci. “We appreciate the passion that 'Peaker' brought to the rink every day. He won’t be forgotten, both as a scout and as someone who loved his family. He’s an inspiration for us all.”